I feel like a lot of my posts lately have been a bit disjointed. I think it has to do with this daily blog post challenge bit. If there is one next month I’m going to just do it weekly and leave it at that. But it gives me the chance today to put a whole pile of things together for your reading pleasure.
Technology!
I got a Galaxy SIII yesterday. Bell just dropped the price to $0 if you renew your contract and that was it. It was never going to get cheaper than free, so I picked it up after many concerned looks from my wife while talking to the girl at the store. I spent my own money on the warranty, which was just $15 more than the Bell hardware upgrade fee and the $20 in store fee that get waived when you pick up the warranty, so it made sense for a change. It’s not the amazing step forward from the LG rumour tot he Galaxy, but it is still pretty awesomely sweet. I LOVE the camera on it.
Check that out! All full resolution pictures not like the continuous mode on the old version when they would have been a much lower resolution. Very cool!
Photos!
My Run For Your Lives pictures have been ordered. The photo company that did them lives in a time warp from 1999 and is mailing me a CD with my photos on them rather than emailing them! What’s the deal with that?! So both you and I have to wait to see these pictures in non-tiny-thumbnail-with-company-watermark version.
Speaking of photos, my friend Rae Wright has her own photography business and is trying to spread the word. I’m not sure how many Peterborough area readers I have exactly, but you should check her out! She’s also having a giveaway draw for a holiday photo shoot!
Daily Blog Challenges
Day 28 Have you ever done a home workout video? If so, which ones are your favourite?
No! My mom does though, they seem to work for her, but I have no comment on the whole situation.
Day 29 Recipe time! Share your favourite fall recipe!
I actually rarely cook with a recipe, except at work, but even now the things I have gotten to make a few times at work I just make them. For instance I made chicken pot pie Thursday with a biscuit top all without looking at a book. If I have a favourite fall recipe it belongs to my wife and it’s pumpkin tarts for dessert and surprisingly butternut squash soup. If she’s reading this and feeling sharey maybe she’ll comment and leave the instructions.
Day 30 Your goals for October
My goals for October are:
- Go another 100km by foot or bike, that would make it 1500 for the year
- Score at least 5 goals or 10 points (goals and assists together) at hockey
- Get my kids at daycare to come up with their own story so that we create a book
- Maybe more, I talked about this not really having specific goals thing before I think
First off Chris has done a workout video - he was hesitant at first, but after much coaxing he got up and tried the Just Dance 3 videos. He has now memorized a Daft Punk routine!
ReplyDeleteButternut Squash Soup
I make this without a recipe so here are the basics:
Peel and cube one butternut squash
Boil squash in chicken stock
Drain stock once squash is soft
Blend squash until smooth with a handheld mixer
Add chicken stock until texture is that of slightly runny baby food
Add one small container of cream cheese
Blend together
Add more chicken stock until soup reaches desired texture (I like it a little thick so it is creamy - think yogurt texture)
Add pepper and salt to taste, add chili flakes if you want some heat or add all spice if you want a more autumn flavour
Keeps well in fridge for a day or two. Freezes well if you bag leave out the cream cheese until the day you are serving it.
Pie Crust (award winning from my bakery days)
ReplyDelete5 cups flour
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 lb room temp. lard (roughly 2 1/3 cups)
Cut above ingredients together - don't over work, should be loose.
In a 1 cup container add 1 egg, 2 tbsp vinegar, and then fill with water to the 1 cup mark. Mix together with fork and then pour into dry ingredients.
Mix altogether with bare hands until it forms a ball. Add flour or water as necessary for desired texture - but it was never needed for me.
If memory serves me it makes enough for roughly 5 dozen tarts or 6 pie shells (or 3 covered pies).
I don't have the pumpkin recipe on me, so here is the recipe for apple guts for tarts.
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
5 cups apples (peeled, cored, sliced in big chunks
Put all ingredients into a big pot and cook down on medium to high, stirring and scraping bottom on occasion. Should be the consistency of cooked apple crisp filling or chunky applesauce.
Apple Crumble topping for tarts or pies
2/3 cup flour
6 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup butter at room temp.
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
handful of oats
Mix together so it sticks together if pressed firmly, but crumbles if you rub it between fingers.
Place on top of uncooked tarts or pies and then bake in oven.